The present invention relates generally to defense devices as used by law enforcement and military personnel, and more particularly to a tactical defense device that can be used as a baton or used to dispense a spray, such as a chemical irritant.
It is a common practice for law enforcement and military personnel to carry a baton when their assignments place them in situations where they may be subject to personal confrontations, or to physical attacks. Such batons normally include two or more telescoping sections that can be carried in a retracted condition and expanded to provide significantly greater reach when confronted with a threatening situation. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,197 that is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
It is also a common practice for law enforcement and military personnel to carry flashlights. Because of their universal use, flashlights do not appear threatening and have easy-to-recognize shapes. More recent practice has provided flashlights that may be axially attached to a baton so that law enforcement officers on field duty may utilize either the flashlight or baton, or both, depending on the particular situation. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,609 that is assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated herein by reference.
Another practice common to law enforcement and military personnel is to carry a chemical dispensing device operative to dispense a chemical irritant which, when discharged in the general direction of a person's face, at least temporarily impairs the person's sight and breathing so as to reduce the threat of harm to law enforcement personnel. Chemical irritant dispensers are well known. Such dispensers typically employ a large aerosol canister containing an aerosol pepper spray or other irritant, such as, for example, the MACE brand of chemical irritant spray manufactured by Mace Security International. When used by law enforcement personnel and individuals requiring on-the-job protection, such as postal service workers, delivery persons and the like, the dispensers generally are carried in holsters worn on a belt or uniform.
Typically, some known dispensers are held in a vertical position when deployed, much like a handheld aerosol paint dispenser. Such dispensers have the disadvantages that they are easily identifiable, and unless they are properly aimed, it is possible to inadvertently dispense the chemical spray on oneself. Because chemical irritant dispensers are generally activated under stressful conditions, the requirement for conscientious and accurate arming is a significant drawback. Moreover, the need for deliberate aiming and firing reduces or eliminates the element of surprise, and permits an adversary to prepare for or avoid the spray. Recent advances to overcome such drawbacks include the provision of a chemical irritant dispenser that can be readily held in one's hand and actuated by the user's thumb to release or discharge the chemical irritant while holding the dispenser in a horizontal position while gripped in the user's hand. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,509,581, which discloses such a device.
It is also known to combine a spray dispenser with a baton so as to enable dual functioning as either a baton or a liquid irritant dispenser. The known combination baton and spray dispenser devices have proven rather cumbersome and do not lend themselves to rapid re-orientation such as, for example, switching from use as a baton to use as a spray dispenser. Further, known combination baton and spray dispensers are dedicated to these two functions, and do not provide for easy conversion of the dispenser to a flashlight, and vice versa.
It thus follows that a combination baton and defensive spray dispenser that appears in a non-threatening form, such as a flashlight, that may be converted rapidly from use as a baton to use as an irritant spray dispenser, and that facilitates accurate arming and ease of operation would enhance the use and safety value for law enforcement and military personnel. Police officers using a flashlight or an ASP Tactical Baton are taught to rest the light or baton on their shoulder with the lens of the light or shaft of the baton facing the subject and the barrel of the light or shaft of the baton extending backward over the officer's shoulder. From this non-threatening position, the officer can ward off blows or attacks, and strike with the barrel of the light or extend and strike with the shaft of the baton.